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That’s because the stars set to premiere today at AMC Dublin Village 18 are the
multimillion-dollar improvements at the 26-year-old theater.

Among the most visible upgrades: power recliners with footrests and larger armrests.

Local moviegoers may be familiar with the comfortable seats because some auditoriums at the AMC
theater at Easton Town Center include them. But every seat in the Dublin location, near I-270 and
Sawmill Road, has the upgrade.

The improvements make Dublin Village 18 one of AMC’s first theaters to receive a complete
makeover, said Mark McDonald, executive vice president of development at AMC.

“We want our guests to be excited about coming out to the movies again and again,” McDonald
said.

Dublin city officials praised the renovation of the theater and hope it boosts a shopping center
that has struggled in recent times.

“It’s great to see that kind of investment,” said Dana McDaniel, deputy city manager and
director of economic development. “Everyone who’s grown up in Dublin has gone to that theater.

“We’re very happy to see investment in an area that hasn’t seen much in recent years. We will
continue to work with investors and developers to see the entire area advance. It’s good to see
excitement grow. This is the first piece.”

While AMC Entertainment hasn’t divulged exactly how much it spent on the renovation, officials
have confirmed that past improvements at other theaters are typically in the multimillion-dollar
range.

The investment pays off in greater attendance, they said.

That’s important because, to make room for the recliners, AMC has removed seats from each
auditorium. To help manage the smaller capacity with what the company hopes will be greater demand,
AMC Dublin Village 18 has instituted a reserved-seating policy.

“At locations where we’ve added these seats, reception has been tremendous, doubling and in some
cases tripling attendance,” spokesman Ryan Noonan said when the renovation was first announced.

Ticket prices have not changed as a result of the upgrade, Noonan said. However, if demand for
seats jumps significantly, there might be increases in the future, he said.

The developer who controls the 65 acres — close to 500,000 square feet of space — at Dublin
Village Center said that he is “very, very happy with the results of the interior renovation,”
which will help in remaking the center into a mixed-use development.

“They did a phenomenal job,” said Matt Stavroff, president of Stavroff Land & Development
Inc. “The feedback from the community has been overwhelmingly positive. The people I’ve talked to
say the renovations will lead to many more trips to the theater and the center.”

Stavroff said his company will make several million dollars’ worth of improvements to the
exterior of the building “in the very near future.”

“We plan to marry the quality of the renovation inside to the outside,” he said. “We’re working
on a redesign of the exterior, the parking lots and landscaping. I imagine we will fully implement
those improvements in spring 2014.”

Those improvements in turn will become a catalyst to redevelop the entire shopping center, he
said.

In the past few years, Kansas City-based AMC Entertainment has been upgrading theaters across
the country. Two dining-focused options are among them: Cinema Suites, a theater with recliner
seats, full-service menu and cocktail bar; and Fork and Screen, a theater and casual
restaurant.

In addition, AMC has been rolling out its MacGuffins Bar and Lounge, a lobby bar where drinks
can be ordered and then taken into the auditoriums. Locally, the theater at Easton Town Center
features both dining options and the bar. The Lennox Town Center location features the bar and
lounge only.

The Dublin location does not include the dining component, but does feature MacGuffins Bar, and
serves beer, wine and cocktails, McDonald said. The concession menu offers chicken tenders,
mozzarella sticks, jalapeno poppers and pizza, as well as traditional theater snacks. In addition,
the theater has installed new Coca-Cola Freestyle machines that offer more than 120 drink
options.

AMC Entertainment is the nation’s second-largest movie-theater chain, with 332 theaters and
4,804 screens throughout the United States.